RUSH (Montgomery Men #1) - C.A. Harms Page 0,44

kind and welcoming. Not once had I felt out of place or as if I was just arm candy. Instead I was treated as an equal and talked to as one of the appreciated guests that came to support such an amazing charity.

But I still walked around with a lingering knot in my stomach. How could I have been so stupid as to forget the damn contacts? They should have gone in first. I’d done that from day one before I did my hair and makeup.

I hoped I gave Ash a good reason for wearing them, and now I guess it was just one less thing I had to worry about when I was around him. I was still concerned he would notice my blond roots, so I dyed my hair more often than I should. I missed my real hair color, but it was safer this way.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, gaining my attention.

My thoughts often wandered to my worries. It was so easy to get lost in the dark memories of my past.

“Baby, you’ve got that lost look in your eyes,” Ash said, lightly rubbing my lower back as he held me close.

I smiled reassuringly up at him. “I was just thinking about tonight. It’s been amazing. Everyone is so kind, and you . . . ,” I whispered, looking into his questioning eyes as I took a few seconds to plan what to say next. “You have been so sweet and attentive. You’ve made me feel perfectly at peace by your side tonight. Thank you for that.”

He stared back at me without speaking, and for a moment I could tell he was searching my eyes for more.

I wanted to tell him more, I truly did. I wanted to tell him about everything that had led me to this moment. I wanted to tell him that every event I’d gone to prior to this one involved me being trotted around like an expensive set of jewelry to be used as a distraction. Remembering it made me feel dirty and pointed out how Ashton gave me so much more than Jase ever had.

But I had to remain hidden behind this damn fake identity.

“Not to mention that you look incredibly handsome in this tux.” I had to do something to lighten the seriousness that had begun to develop between us, so I tugged on his jacket.

He chuckled, and his gaze became heated when I slipped my other had beneath the jacket and gently rubbed along his lower back. “I’ve never seen a man that wore one so well,” I said with a grin. “It makes me want to do dirty things to you.”

“Oh,” he whispered as he pulled me closer, “is that so?”

I nodded.

It was time to use sex as a distraction, which I’d found to be quite effective on Ashton.

“I’ve had a difficult time keeping my hands off you tonight.” I pressed my body closer and could feel him growing hard as he flexed his hips, showing me just how excited he too was becoming.

“Don’t keep your hands off me, sweetheart,” he said with a smirk. “Feel free to touch me any way you’d like.”

“How much longer do we need to stay here?” I asked, suddenly feeling the need to get him alone. The way his eyes narrowed as he once again moved his hips assured me he was feeling it too.

“Meet me in the small bathroom just outside the ballroom, to the left, down the long, narrow hall,” he whispered so close to my ear his heated breath gave me chills. “It’s private. Not many people know about it.”

If that was true, I wondered how he knew it was there, but I wasn’t naive enough to believe Ashton had never used that very location to do exactly what he was suggesting now.

I would just have to make sure he quickly forgot those other times.

“Okay,” I replied as I slowly stood and stepped back from him before turning in that direction.

I didn’t look behind me; I knew he would wait before following.

With each step I took, my heart raced faster. I’d grown more adventurous because of Ash and found myself doing and saying things I’d never even thought of in the past. The freedom was addicting.

I was in the bathroom for just a few seconds before the door came open. I looked up at the small mirror over the sink and saw Ashton enter. He turned the lock on the handle while he brought his other hand